Da Nang’s specialities such as ‘banh trang cuon thit heo’ (belly pork and vegetables wrapped in soft rice paper), Quang noodles, ‘bun mam nem' (rice vermicelli with fermented anchovy dipping sauce), 'bun cha ca' (rice vermicelli with fish cakes), 'banh xeo' (steamed rice flour pancakes), ‘chao cho Nam O’ (Nam O-style rice spaghetti soup with braised scad fish), and ‘goi ca Nam O’ (raw fish salad) have long been “tourism ambassadors” to introduce culture and invite tourists to return to the city one day soon.

There are many ‘goi ca’ eateries and restaurants in Da Nang. However, if you want to enjoy a rustic, traditional flavour, you can tour the beautiful Nam O Village which is in Lien Chieu District, only 15km from the city centre.

Having been around for 20 years, the Vinh Restaurant, located at 960 Nguyen Luong Bang Street, Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, is one of the first choices of many local diners when they suddenly crave raw fish salad.

According to Mrs. Truong Thi Chau, the owner of the Vinh Restaurant, there are two sorts of the fish salad: dried (the fish fillet is covered with a layer of roast corn powder, locally known as "thinh"), and wet (locally known as “goi va”).

Wet fish salad is locally called "goi va" because when eating, diners have to put raw vegetables and fish into a bowl, crush some grilled rice paper, add a little fish sauce, then pick up the bowl and put it all in their mouth at the same time to feel the blend of sourness, spiciness, saltiness, sweetness, and astringency.

Dried fish salad is eaten with vegetables, thinly sliced green mango, green banana and cucumber, and special dipping sauce. Firstly, you put herbs, and marinated herring slices on soft rice paper, wrap it up and dip it in the sauce. Both dried and wet fish salad have their own delicious taste, but enjoying the dish properly must be "dried first - wet later".

We choose fresh herring to make the fish salad because it is tastier with sweet meat compared with others, Mrs Chau said. The freshness of the fish determines up to 70% of the deliciousness of the dish, and the remaining 30% depends on the seasoning method, the cook’s own recipe, and accompanying vegetables, especially wild ones.

To increase the deliciousness of the dish, every day, from early morning, Mr. Vinh (Mrs. Chau's husband) must go up the mountain to find and pick wild vegetables such as orchid hearts, and polyscias fruticosa and Jamblon leaves. Each type of wild vegetables will have different characteristic flavours. When enjoying the dish for the first time, many diners are surprised to see so many strange and delicious vegetables.

The fish sauce to make raw fish salad must be Nam O fish sauce. This salty fish sauce, rich in fish aroma, is brewed from fresh anchovies according to the traditional method of Nam O villagers.

As a regular customer of the Vinh Restaurant, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Lich said that every time his relatives and friends come to Da Nang, he takes them to the restaurant to enjoy the renowned raw fish salad.

According to Chairman of the Da Nang Culinary Culture Association Ly Dinh Quan, Nam O raw fish salad is truly one of the unique and attractive specialities of Da Nang. It is not only a delicate combination of the fresh flavours of sea fish and raw vegetables, but also a part of the rich culinary culture of the Nam O Village, he added.

The way to prepare and enjoy this dish is often passed down through generations. The dish is a highlight of family meals and an indispensable part of gatherings with friends.

Nam O ‘chao cho' (rice spaghetti soup with braised scad fish), priced at VND15,000 - VND20,000/bowl, is a popular dish for Da Nang people, and it can be eaten at any time of the day.

Not only famous for its raw fish salad, but the Nam O Village is also well-known for 'chao cho', also known as rice spaghetti soup with braised scad fish. Depending on their taste, each person in Da Nang has their own favourite place to enjoy the dish but the most popular is the 26-year-old Thang Restaurant on Ngo Xuan Thu Street, Hoa Hiep Bac Ward, Lien Chieu District.

The dish is literally translated as "waiting soup" because the restaurant owner only starts cooking when customers arrive. In less than 5 minutes, a hot bowl of soup with savory broth and fragrant fish smell is brought to the diners. A complete bowl of soup includes noodles (rice flour or tapioca flour), braised fish, boiled quail eggs, pickled onions and chopped laksa leaves.

With a splash of the chili fish sauce and a squeeze of kumquat, the bowl of soup really livens up. The sweet broth, salty braised fish pieces combined with the spicy taste of chili, the sour taste of kumquat make diners still hungry after eating a bowl, so they have to order another bowl, then another bowl.

Deciding whether a bowl of rice spaghetti soup is delicious or not depends 90% on the braised fish. According to Mrs. Tran Thi Thang, 56, the owner of the Thang Restaurant, many stages are done to get a delicious batch of braised fish. Firstly, she boils the fish to make broth, then separates fish meat and fishbone. After that, she fries the fish in oil, season to taste and then put it on the stove to simmer until dry.

When it comes to Da Nang cuisine, it would be remiss of us not to mention ‘banh trang cuon thit heo’ (belly pork and vegetables wrapped in soft rice paper), and ‘bun mam nem' (rice vermicelli with fermented anchovy dipping sauce). The deliciousness of the two dishes is largely determined by ‘mam nem’ (fermented anchovy dipping sauce). With a type of fermented fish sauce from sea fish (anchovies, cobia...), the seller adds spices so that the finished product has a moderate sweet and salty taste, and often tends to be salty according to the taste of central regional people.

In Da Nang, diners can enjoy the food anywhere from sidewalk eateries to traditional markets and luxury restaurants. If you want to find a place to enjoy both dishes at the same time, you can visit the Bi My kiosk in the Con Market or the Van Restaurant at alley No. K23/14 on Tran Ke Xuong Street, Hai Chau 2 Ward, Hai Chau District.

A portion of rice paper rolls with pork includes rice paper, ‘banh uot’ (wet rice cake), raw vegetables (lettuce, green onions, cucumber, banana, herbs, green mango, bean sprouts), and boiled pork with a good balance of meat to fat.

You need to put the rice paper wrapper on top of the rice noodle sheets, add a thin slice of pork and other greens, and then roll it up into a complete roll. The pork slices taste flavourful, sweet, tender, and fat-free. You can appreciate how delicious this dish is when you eat the roll with the dipping sauce.

You should take a bite and chew slowly to feel the fishy, sour, spicy, sweet and salty flavour of fermented fish sauce, and the greasiness of boiled pork to see why you should not miss this dish when coming to Da Nang.

Rice vermicelli with fermented anchovy sauce in restaurants is quite similar in terms of ingredients, but the key factor to attract customers is the delicious taste of the fermented fish sauce. A typical bowl of vermicelli with fermented anchovy sauce in Da Nang includes fresh rice vermicelli, raw vegetables, boiled/roasted pork, ‘nem chua’ (fermented pork), ‘cha bo’ (beef paste), minced young jackfruit, fried onions, roasted peanuts and red chili.

In most bowls of ‘bun mam’ in Da Nang, the former is placed above a layer of vegetables followed by the meat and the side dishes before the sauce is poured evenly.

Diners can use their chopsticks to mix the components in the bowl so that the sauce is fully absorbed by the ingredients. The signature dish of central cuisine then tastes salty, sweet, spicy, and sour.

Mrs. Huynh Thi My, a tourist from Thanh Hoa Province, said that this was the second time she and her husband had travelled to Da Nang, and their trip was only complete as they enjoyed rice paper rolls with pork and vermicelli with fermented fish sauce.

If your stomach is full and your mouth still craves a few snacks to chat with friends, 'banh trang kep' is one of the top choices of Da Nang's youth. There are countless types of grilled rice paper sandwich, but toppings mainly revolve three main ingredients of pate, quail egg and beef jerky.

The “sandwich” is grilled over charcoal fire. When cooked, the crispy and hot layer of coconut rice paper, plus the savory aroma of eggs, fried onions and green onions, make it more appealing and make our mouth water.

The snack is dipped into beef jerky sauce, and it only tastes best when still hot. The sweet and salty taste of the sauce, and the fatty taste of the quail eggs, pate, coconut rice paper, and fried scallions are harmonious and unbelievably attractive.

The Da Nang snack, featuring a combination of savory beef jerky, aromatic scallions, fatty pate, and creamy quail egg yolk, bears the heart of local youth. Friends can chat with each other whilst enjoying plates of hot rice paper sandwiches.

Aside from the aforementioned food, ‘bun cha ca’, Quang noodles, ‘banh xeo’ and ‘oc hut’ (sucking snails) are favourites for many people in Da Nang. Even if you eat these dishes every day, you still feel their deliciousness. It's not just a habit or a hobby, it's also a love for traditional local cuisine.

The diversity of traditional cuisine is the pride of local people.

Da Nang is open to cultural exchanges but does not lose the identity of local cuisine. The meeting between traditional cuisine and dishes from everywhere else has created the diversity, appeal, and richness of Da Nang cuisine. This is the pride of local people, and the city's cuisine is being developed to become a unique tourism product.

Reporting by THU DUYEN, PHUONG MINH
Translating by MAI DUNG
Designing by LE THANH
Video making by BAO LAM